To a Married Man

"To a Married Man" (1980) is a poem by Australian poet Kate Llewellyn.

It was originally published in Overland magazine in July 1980 and was subsequently reprinted in a number of Australian poetry anthologies.

Synopsis

The main character of the poem is a woman who has tired of an affair she is having with a married man.

Critical reception

In his commentary on the poem in 60 Classic Australian Poems Geoff Page noted that the poem "is a fine example of what can be done in free verse – and with the female colloquial voice in a certain register." Page also states that it "appears to tread a fine line between the confessional poem and the dramatic monologue."

Publication history

After the poem's initial publication in Overland magazine it was reprinted as follows:

• New Poetry vol. 27 no. 4, 1980
• Trader Kate and the Elephants by Kate Llewellyn, 1982
• Off the Record edited by TT. O, 1985
• Selected Poems by Kate Llewellyn, 1992
• 60 Classic Australian Poems edited by Geoff Page, University of NSW Press, 2009
• Kate Llewellyn by Kate Llewellyn and Paul Sharrad, 2010

See also

• 1980 in Australian literature
• 1980 in poetry

References